Time to Build Peace, One Stitch at a Time

I’m not the only one who finds the world a tumultuous and frightening place these days, with leaders who seem to have anything but peace on their minds.
A while ago, I came across some wonderful poems about peace, written by the New Zealand contemporary poet Mary Walker.  Now I decided to make a kind of meditative art quilt with inspiration from her poem “Ripples”. 
I feel very powerless thinking of all the brutality and terror many innocent people have to face every day. Therefore, these words in the poem are encouraging and give some kind of peace of mind, at least for a little while.

Ripples of whatever pebble you drop
in the pond of your life—
kindness, fear, judgement, peace—
can rock the boat of others

When I do freemotion stitching on the machine, I often enter what could be called a meditative state. But hand stitching is the technique that truly gives me time to think, with its quiet, repetitive movements. Sitting in silence, stitching with needle and thread, is a way to restore a sense of peace during stressful times.
Creating this piece is my humble way of participating in craftivism, a movement that embraces “gentle protest” by encouraging reflection, sparking conversation, and fostering dialogue through quiet, thoughtful creation.

This time I am certain of who crocheted the small doilies I have used. They were made by my paternal grandmother Rakel Alho (1911-1992, Finland), who was skilled in many different techniques, weaving, bobbin lace making, dressmaking, needlepoint, knitting, and of course, crocheting. I am sure I have left out some…
Unfortunately, I do not have a lot of her handwork. She used to say that since I made so much myself, she would give what she made to the other grandchildren. And so I have less of her work than I might have wished.
But one thing I have a lot of, are these small colorful doilies, made to be used as coaster under glasses. I like to think my grandmother would appreciate this kind of collaboration.

All the fabrics I have used in this piece are hand dyed or hand painted.
The background is pieced and freemotion quilted.
The boats are freemotion appliquéd, with touches of silver paint along the edges.
All the circles are hand stitched.